Off-Duty Officer Shot at Gas Station in Colton – Wendy Burch Reports

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Off-Duty Officer Shot at Gas Station in Colton – Wendy Burch Reports

COLTON, Calif. (KTLA) — An off-duty corrections officer was fighting for his life Friday morning after being shot at a gas station in Colton.

Officers responded to a reported shooting at 8:48 p.m. Thursday at a Shell station in the 2700 block of Iowa Avenue.

They found a victim who was suffering from at least one gunshot wound, according to a news release.

Police said the man was an off-duty State Correctional Officer.

Officers immediately transported the victim to the hosptial for treatment.

According to witnesses, he was pumping gas when two men pulled up in a silver Dodge Durango SUV and asked for directions.

At some point, things escalated, and one of the people inside the SUV pulled a gun and fired at the officer.

“Basically, the gentleman was just laying on the floor injured,” witness John Escobar recalled.

“At that time, we did see the police officers pull up in their cars… went to go help the person that was laying on the floor,” he continued. “The officers are telling us to go back in our cars, stay in our cars.”

“They didn’t end up calling the ambulance for the wounded guy. They ended up just throwing him in the back of a cop car and taking him off.”

Officers from the Riverside Police Department located a vehicle they believed to be involved in their jurisdiction.When officers tried to contact the driver of the vehicle, he fled on foot. The driver was caught a short distance away, and a second occupant was detained.The suspects have been identified as Christopher Marquez and Anthony Gomez. Police said both men have ties to criminal street gangs.

They were booked into the San Bernardino County Jail for attempted homicide and conspiracy.

Police said they did recover a handgun from inside the SUV. The investigation is ongoing.